I’m excited for this. I hope BeBe Neuwirth has a Christine Baranski Good Wife type role that could score her another Emmy nomination since Gunn is out and some of the other ladies are depended on their seasons like Heady and Froggatt

I hope this works for Leoni. I’ve always liked her even though we don’t get to see her much in films and tv….or at all. A drama isn’t exactly where I would have liked to see her next, but I’ll take it.

If a review isn’t outright negative its totally condescending! I’ve seen B and 3 star reviews that are really negative. Dumb Good Wife or dumb Homeland. I don’t think the negative reviews would kill any emmy chances but can this show make it past 13 episodes? Or to 13 episodes? It seems like it will flop.

Synopsis: Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord faces an abundance of political challenges, most importantly an international hostage situation; the McCord children struggle to adjust to their new schools.

Whose bright idea was it to have it premiere on one of CBS’s NFL doubleheader days? Fox gets away with this because it pads its postgame show until 8 PM, but CBS still thinks that games usually end by 7:30. Yes, there are various ways to be informed as to when the show will actually start (for example, CBS has a Twitter feed for just this reason), but how many people actually use it?

CBS is starting it at 8:30pm eastern instead of 8pm, so that may help. Plus, it looks like they are re-airing it after The Good Wife tonight.

I’m actually looking forward to this. I have a soft spot for Tea Leoni. I loved her in The Naked Truth. She came on the scene with a lot of promise and has never found that just right vehicle. Comparing her to another mid-90s comedy blonde, she’s like Jenna Elfman, but with talent.

Whose bright idea was it to have it premiere on one of CBS’s NFL doubleheader days? Fox gets away with this because it pads its postgame show until 8 PM, but CBS still thinks that games usually end by 7:30. Yes, there are various ways to be informed as to when the show will actually start (for example, CBS has a Twitter feed for just this reason), but how many people actually use it?

This is the same problem they had all of last year and the year before. They never scedule enough time inbetween football and 60 Minutes to give in a real overtime leway space like FOX does. This is one of many reasons why I hate football on network TV. You have 100 other channels dedicated to sports

It was a servicable pilot, but it lacked the bite that I was hoping for to maintain long-term interest. Tea Leoni isn’t a compelling lead or a good actress, so the whole time I was hoping for some level of gravitas and spark with this lead “outside the box” female role that just wasn’t there. Barbara Hall’s writing is hit and miss and fairly toothless. I’m more interested in some of the supporting cast, like Zeljko Ivanek (always doing roles like these in show after show), Keith Carradine (hope this gives him more to do than in “Fargo,” though I know he isn’t the show’s focus, and he’s no Martin Sheen), Bebe Neuwirth (underutilized here), Tim Daly (thankless husband), and Tony winner Patina Miller (surprisingly awkward at first glance). I was also hoping we’d see more of William Sadler, but his character’s demise was so telegraphed that it was ridiculous. There might be room for improvement in the future or more of the usual case of the week sameness. It’s no match for “The Good Wife”‘s polish and depth.

I liked it more than you did Atypical. Is Leoni on par with Margulies? No, but she has other strengths. She has an ease and confidence in herself which serves her well here. I like that she’s willing to be a little bull-headed and unapologetic and they did it without making her seem like a shrew.

They do have to find the tone they want, and I think they can. The supporting cast was very underused. So much that it makes it seem like they were all late additions to the cast and added a few scenes to the pilot for continuity. You don’t hire Bebe and give her nothing to do. I like that Leoni’s character won’t dance around Ivanek’s Chief of Staff and pretty much threatened him back.

It was a solid B for me because the structure is there, they just have to build on it.